Cross-roll apparatus



Feb. 18, 1936. A p. D|E$HER 2,031,,U9

CROSS ROLLAPPARATUS Filed March 6, 1935 ATTORNES.

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Patented Feb. 18, 1936 UNITED STATES wists PATENT OFFICE CROSS-ROLL APPARATUS Application March 6,

1 Claim.

My invention relates to cross-roll apparatus and particularly to means for supporting and actuating rotatable guide discs of cross-roll mills.

An object of my invention is to provide simple and convenient means for supporting rotatable guide discs whereby the latter may be removed or replaced with minimum expenditure of time and labor.

A further object of my invention is to provide separable supporting members for guide discs of cross-roll mills that are detachably connected to opposite sides of the guide discs but are maintained in axial alignment.

Guide discs that are employed in connection with cross-roll mills for controlling the outer diameters of tubular blanks treated therein are provided with circumferential grooves that are adapted to the diameter of the product of the mills. Accordingly, they must be replaced when it is desired to change substantially the diameter of the product. It is highly desirable to make such changes as quickly as possible.

Heretofore, inorder to remove a guide disc, it has been necessary to remove in addition a considerable portion of its supporting structure including the shaft upon which it has been mounted and the upper portions of the bearing housings, and it has been necessary also to disconnect the driving shaft therefrom. These operations frequently require considerable time, and the output of the mill is reduced by the delay, with a corresponding increase in production costs.

In accordance with the present invention I provide that guide discs may be removed for replacement or repair without dismantling the supporting structure therefor and without disconnecting the driving shaft except under unusual circumstances. One of the bearings for each guide disc is mounted for slidable outward movement whereby the alinged shafts individually connected to the guide disc may be separated sufficiently to permit the removal of the guide disc from between transverse flanges with which the inner ends of the shafts are provided.

In order to insure that the supporting shafts, or main shafts which are detachably connected to opposite sides of the guide disc, are maintained in rigid axial alignment. I provide a central shaft which extends through bores in the two main shafts. This central shaft is of such cross-sectional area as to rigidly maintain the main shafts in alignment during operation. The central shaft is movable endwise in order to permit the removal or replacement of a guide disc.

The details of my invention will be described 1933, Serial No. 659,772

in connection with the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a view in end elevation of a cross-' roll mill embodying'guide discs having supporting means constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional View of a guide disc of Fig. 1, illustrating the details of the improved supporting means therefor.

Referring particularly to Fig. 1, the cross-roll mill l comprises cross-rolls 2 and 3 having their axes inclined to each other and inclined also in opposite directions to the line of feed of tubular blanks or other work pieces passing therebetween. The mill I may be, for example, similar to that shown and described in S. E. Diescher Patent No. 1,870,209, patented August 2, 1932.

The mill 1 is also provided with rotatable guide discs 4 and 5 located between the cross-rolls, the mid-planes of the discs as shown being in vertical alignment with each other and with the axis of a tubular blank passing through the mill. The discs are driven by means of suitable spindles 8. A tubular blank I having a mandrel S therein is shown in an intermediate position in its passage through the mill.

The details of the supporting means for the guide disc '5, which are typical also of the guide disc 4, are illustrated in Fig. 2. It will be noted that the disc 5 is provided with an outer relatively thick portion 9 having a circumferential groove l0 and inner shoulders II. The disc 5 is secured by means of bolts l2 to tapered transverse flanges [3 on the inner ends of two horizontal shafts l4 and I5 that are mounted in axial alignment in bearings l6 and I1, respectively.

The flanges l3 are of such diameter as to fit within the shoulders ll of the disc. If desired, the disc 5 may be supported by the engagement between the flanges l3 and shoulders l l in which case one or more of the bolts l2 act as keys to provide a driving connection between the flanges l3 and the disc 5. 0r, there may be a clearance between the flanges l3 and shoulders H in which case the bolts I2 are all close fitting and the shoulders ll merely aid in centering the flanges l3 with respect to the disc.

The bearing I6 is preferably permanently secured to a supporting casting or bearing block l8 while the bearing I1 is provided with a tongue IQ for cooperating with a groove on the bear ing block I8 whereby the bearing I1 is axially slidable upon its supporting base. It may be retained in its operative position, for example, by means of one or more stud bolts 2| on each side thereof, the stud bolts being threaded to engage the bearing block and having heads which engage the base of the hearing.

The shaft I4 is provided with an axial bore 23 extending partially therethrough, and the shaft I is provided with an axial bore 24 extending entirely therethrough. The bores 23 and 24 are occupied by a central shaft 25 of relatively large cross-sectional area and having a close sliding fit therein whereby the shafts l4 and I5 are held in rigid axial alignment, the shaft 25 assuming a portion of the radial stresses while the shafts l4 and I5 assume the end thrusts and the torsional stresses.

The shaft 25 is tapered at its inner end and is provided at its outer end with a screw-threaded portion 26 which cooperates with an interiorly threaded bushing 21 that is secured in the outer end of the shaft l5 by means of bolts 28. The screw-threads of the portion 26 are of larger diameter than the remainder of the shaft in order that the threads of the bushing may have an internal diameter greater than the external diameter of the unthreaded portion of the shaft. The bolts 28 may be of any suitable number, two being shown by way of example.

A jam nut 29 looks the shaft 25 in position to prevent its rotation relative to the bushing 21. The outer end of the shaft 25 is provided with a suitably shaped portion 30 for engage ment by a wrench or other device for rotating the shaft 25 to actuate it into and out of operative position.

It may be assumed that it is desired to remove the guide disc 5 of Fig. 2 and that the various parts of the supporting means therefor are in the positions illustrated. The jam nut 29 will be loosened and the shaft 25 will be turned by means of a suitable tool applied to the portion 30 to actuate the shaft 25 outwardly until the screw-threaded portion 26 is through the bushing 21 whereupon the shaft 25 may be withdrawn without further rotation until its inner end is at least within the shaft l5. The bolts l2 will be removed and the bolts 2| will also be removed to permit axial movement of the bearing IT. The disc may be supported in any suitable manner as by means of a cable around the groove l0.

Outward movement of the bearing I! by. any usual or suitable mechanical means permits the shaft I5 and its integral flange I 3 to be moved outwardly or to the right as viewed in Fig. 2 a sufficient distance as indicated by dotted lines to permit the withdrawal of the disc 5 from between the flanges by any suitable means such as a crane attached to its supporting cable.

Another disc may then be inserted whereupon the shaft l5 and the bearing I! will be returned to their illustrated positions and the bolts l2 will be inserted to connect the flanges l3 to the disc. The shaft 25 will be returned through the bushing'21 to its illustrated position to maintain the alignment of the shafts l4 and I5 whereupon the jam nut 29 will be tightened to retain the shaft 25 in position. It will be appreciated that by reason of the simplicity of the supporting 5 mechanism for the guide disc, the foregoing operation may be accomplished with the expenditure of a minimum amount of time and labor and that the operation of the mill will be delayed for a relatively short period only.

It may occur, however, that the removal of the shaft 25 can not be accomplished by means of a tool applied to the portion 30. In this case it may be removed by first removing the bolts 28 to disconnect the bushing 21 from the hollow shaft I5. A driving coupling 32 of suitable flexible or universal type is also disconnected from the shaft [4 and a rod or other suitable tool may be inserted into the relatively small bore 33 in the shaft [4, and the central shaft 25 together with the bushing 21 may be driven to an outer position sufiicient to permit the removal and replacement of the guide disc.

If space permits, the central shaft may be of such large cross-sectional area that it may assume substantially the entire radial load while the surrounding shafts assume the end thrust and the torsional load.

While I have shown and described only one bearing as being movable, both of the disc bearings may be so arranged if desired.

It will be noted that I have provided simple and rugged supporting means for guide discs that are subject to relatively heavy duty. The supporting means may be easily and conveniently 35 manipulated to remove or replace discs. While the supporting parts are readily detachable and separable, they are maintained in rigid and axial alignment by the central shaft extending therethrough.

The foregoing and other advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art of construction and operation of cross-roll apparatus.

I claim:

In a cross-rolling mill, the combination with a pair of helically acting cross-rolls, an annular guide disc arranged to act between said rolls, two axially aligned tubular shafts provided with opposed flanges at their adjacent ends, means for removably attaching said disc to said flanges between their adjacent faces, bearings each rotatably supporting one of said shafts, a rod removably extending through the bore of one into the bore of the other of said shafts and having a close shaft-aligning sliding fit in the bore of each of said shafts, one of said bearings being mounted for axial movement with relation to the other to separate said shafts for the removal of said disc from between them after said rod has been withdrawn from one of the shafts.

AUGUST P. DIESCHER. 

